Jump to content

How to workout on an empty stomach??


scorpionqueen

Recommended Posts

Okay, question for people who are working out. I'm having a hard time grasping the 3 meals no snacks, especially for working out. It has been engrained in me to eat a carb before a workout (so you will have energy) and then a protein after (to repair muscles). What/how are you supposed to eat when you are going to have an intense workout session? When I start on the 26th, I will have breakfast around 5:30am and then workout at Noon, and then have lunch after the workout, probably around 1:00pm. Am I supposed to go without food for 6.5 hours and then have enough sustainable energy to workout? I can't possibly eat and then workout, I will vomit. Help?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

You should check out the meal template -- it has pre- and post-workout suggestions. It sounds like maybe you could try something like a hardboiled egg or two up to an hour or so before your workout -- would that give you enough time to not get nauseated during the workout?  And it doesn't have to be eggs, they just seem like a good portable, easy to eat on the go option. It could be leftover protein & fat. But pre-workout shouldn't be carbs, because the idea is to get your body to burn fat for fuel, not more easily accessed carbs. 

 

Also, the three meals a day, no snacks is a recommendation for the best way to do your Whole30. If you should find yourself truly hungry between meals (as in, you would eat something bland like steamed fish and broccoli), you should have a mini-meal including at least fat and protein, and ideally some vegetables as well. While eating three times a day is best for hormones, you don't need to go hungry. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 What/how are you supposed to eat when you are going to have an intense workout session?

...

Am I supposed to go without food for 6.5 hours and then have enough sustainable energy to workout?

 

It's not Whole30-recommended (not disallowed, just not recommended ;)), but just to offer you an alternative viewpoint, myself and many others who practice intermittent fasting routinely workout in the fasted state.  For cardio I stick with an empty stomach, for weight training I'll do some BCAA's if I have them on hand but it's not necessary.

Some resources here: http://www.leangains.com/2010/09/fasted-training-insulin-sensitivity.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Re: Intermittent Fasting, it certainly is not recommended, as Kirkor mentioned. And I'd like to add that it is especially not recommended for someone just starting out with W30, even more so if that person is a woman. There is a lot of evidence that IF has deleterious effects on women, largely because of hormones.

 

I played with it and found that out for myself. The template reigns supreme in my nutritional world. 

 

Everyone must figure out what works for themselves when it comes to pre and post workout food. I workout at 6 am and find that I'm fine working out without eating first, but that my gains and recovery are infinitely better if I have a post wo meal of a little lean protein and some starchy veg. Lately it has been half a can of tuna mashed with about 2 oz of cold baked sweet potato. Then I generally have my proper template meal 1 after a quick shower and change.

 

In scorpionqueen's scenario, I'd probably eat a hard boiled egg or two about 20 minutes before the noon workout, eat a quick post wo snack as described above, shower, then have my regular lunch. Especially if it's a tough lifting workout. For cardio, I probably would simply eat my lunch afterward and skip everything else.

 

But again, you must figure out what works for you, and I suggest starting with the the recommendations by the book! Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

You have enough energy to run multiple marathon races at any point in time unless you are a skeleton. The idea that you need to eat carbs for energy before working out is a myth. We recommend a bite of protein and fat pre-workout, not for energy, but as a signal to the body that it is time to gear up. Eating carbs after a workout can speed replenishing glycogen stores, but I don't bother as I rarely completely deplete myself during a workouts. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

Re: Intermittent Fasting, it certainly is not recommended, as Kirkor mentioned. And I'd like to add that it is especially not recommended for someone just starting out with W30, even more so if that person is a woman. There is a lot of evidence that IF has deleterious effects on women, largely because of hormones.

 

I played with it and found that out for myself. The template reigns supreme in my nutritional world. 

 

Couldn't agree more.  Have read quite a lot about IF for women as well (as it would be SO nice to be able to skip a few meals in order to save myself the cooking/prep/cleanup).  There is a lot about the female body that doesn't abide by skipping meals and still maintain optimal health.  I know for myself personally I can skip one meal once in awhile if I have to but I feel like I'm then trying to make up for it for up for at least a couple days afterwards. Just not worth it to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have enough energy to run multiple marathon races at any point in time unless you are a skeleton. The idea that you need to eat carbs for energy before working out is a myth.

 

I probably wouldn't disagree with you if you expounded on your post, but this is an extremely ambiguous position to take, and it is misleading at best.  If you mean "myth" in the context of "a person will not keel over and die," then you are correct.  However, I don't believe anyone consumes carbohydrates before engaging in exercise so that he doesn't die.  It depends entirely on the body composition, fitness level, goals, age, and intended exercise of the individual.

 

Given that this is a forum dedicated to athletes, we're talking about active individuals looking to optimize performance, shed the last bit of unwanted body fat, or those in training for some upcoming event.  In any of those instances, a person absolutely does not "have enough energy to run multiple marathon races at any point in time."  A person has about 2,000 kcal of stored glycogen in his body to be used.  In addition, bodyfat (which you must be alluding to, albeit incorrectly) can be utilized for energy output, but this is only in 1) a fat-adapted individual who is 2) able to maintain his heart rate in a very moderate aerobic zone for the 8+ hours it would take to run multiple marathons.  Even given that extremely unlikely assumption, the individual would catabolize a considerable portion of his lean body mass doing so because the energy output system simply doesn't operate in a way that oxidizes purely, and only, bodyfat for fuel.  (I sincerely doubt anyone is looking to chew up their hard fought LBM and subsequently wreck their metabolism simply to prove a point.)

 

Are there cases where an athlete may want to forego ingesting dietary carbohydrates prior to exercise? Absolutely!  However, your blanket response is entirely inadequate for “athletes” looking for answers.  Anyone engaging in anaerobic work ought to assess and prioritize their personal goals (fat loss, performance, muscle gain, etc.) to approach this question appropriately. Furthermore, I strongly encourage each athlete to try for himself how his body responds to various forms of exercise in various fasted or fed states (e.g. completely fasted, only BCAAs, protein + fats, protein + carbs).

 

Below is an image and an excerpt from a study from Iowa State University simply for very general purposes (I’m not purporting their recommendations):

 

“The diagram below shows the impact of diet on muscle glycogen content throughout 3 days with 2 hour training bouts (indicated by the dotted lines) daily. Athletes were divided into two groups, one receiving a low carbohydrate diet and the other a high carbohydrate diet. With the high carbohydrate diet (red line), glycogen levels were almost completely replenished after each training bout. In contrast, the low carbohydrate diet (black line) did not replenish the glycogen and subsequent bouts of training decreased glycogen stores progressively. Athletes on the low carbohydrate diet most likely had very little energy in the final 2-hour exercise bout.”

 

effects.jpg

 

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/content/carbohydrate

 

 

I am glad that you do not need pre-workout carbohydrates and you are satisfied with your exercise regimen and results.  Others have different bodies that may work in different ways, may have different goals, and may be doing exercises at different intensities and for different volumes than you, thus applying your approach may not be optimal.

 

Second to last, my apologies if I appear to be singling you out to make this point.  I am new to this message board (but not the Whole30 approach), have been browsing the various forums, and this one stuck out to me.

 

Lastly, to the OP, as others suggested, you should try the recommendations out and see, once your body has had a chance to adapt, if you really do need food prior to working out.  Of course, this is also based in large part as to what you are doing when you work out.  Low/Medium/High intensity cardio?  Strength training?  Sport?  Again, as others suggested, you may find that you are fine with nothing prior to your workout, or maybe you just do well with a cup of coffee, or maybe you simply 'bonk' near the end of the workout because you are doing more high intensity exercises.  So the real answer is: it depends, but it is certainly worth trying what is recommended and seeing how your body reacts and adapts.  Here is a write-up that may be helpful for you regarding what to expect (just ignore the sales pitch):

 

http://www.vespapower.com/ofm/fat-adapted-metabolic-state/

 

-TRJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with many of the statements throughout this thread, and also agree that there are many vague statements made about what we "need" that come from all sides -- CW and Whole30. And I get weary of the blanket statements that aren't well-explained or lack citation, again from both sides. 

 

Many of us have said: you need to experiment for yourself. I see the Whole30 as that experiment. Try the template, see if it works, modify if needed. I think we all agree there.

 

Do we "need" carbs before a workout? I think I sometimes do, and sometimes don't. It took experimenting to find that out, and boy it was a surprise to find that I can run one hour just fine if I wake up late and don't eat beforehand. But that's me, not everyone else. 

 

Tom does state that Whole30 "recommends" a particular type of preWO meal. So it is provided as a starting point for new to Whole30 athletes. But I'd love to see the data that show how eating protein and fat beforehand "signals the body to gear up", every time I read that statement I wonder what it means. I've looked for the reference on it and I'm sure it's out there. But I'd like to see it for myself. 

 

Regarding the graph shown from ISU, it doesn't address the question exactly: the study doesn't focus on pre-WO nutrition but rather carb replenishment over a 3 day period. And it examines low-carb refueling, and Whole30 doesn't necessarily advocate low-carb. So what the graph shows is that for people like me who tend towards two-a-day workouts, I need those carbs. 

 

I've also found that I am able to skip a pre-WO meal before a long aerobic intensity workout, but then I need to eat something earlier during the session. With preWO food I'm good for 60-90 mins. Without, I'm good for maybe only 30-45. But I'm talking about 2hrs plus sessions of low or mid intensity running or biking. 

 

I don't mean to stir the pot or single anyone out either, but I do like discussing the athletic benefits of Whole30 and fueling strategies. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

TRJ -

  Thank you for the link to the Fat Adapted Metabolic State. This explains a lot about the stages the body goes through while transitioning to fat as fuel, and why so many people feel lethargic in this stage. I struggled early on with my endurance running (while a friend on the same schedule just shined from the start).

  

   I don't seem to need any carbs pre-run, but I do take in fuel along the way if I'm out for more than 3 hours. In fact, my 100 mile race this summer was fueled almost entirely by Melissa Joulwan's Velvety Butternut Squash and Morroccan Lamb Bangers! It was like a roving 24 hour buffet of deliciousness.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...